Artemis II crew completes historic lunar mission

The Artemis II mission concluded with the return of four astronauts to Earth after a ten-day journey around the Moon. The crew included NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This marked the first crewed mission to travel such a distance from Earth since 1972, surpassing the distance reached by Apollo 13 in 1970. During the return, the Orion capsule performed a high-speed reentry at over 30 times the speed of sound. Victor Glover described the parachute deployment phase as an intense experience involving a brief sensation of free fall. The astronauts noted the international public response as a key component of the mission's success alongside technical goals. The mission serves as a milestone for future deep space exploration initiatives.